The concept of using some sort of runner to put down in an aisle or walkway just before a ceremonial event, is well-known in the prior art. Such runners are used when dignitaries arrive for some sort of function. More specifically, such runners are commonly used during the wedding ceremony and are placed in the aisle of a church, synagogue or some other place where a wedding is about to take place. The dignitary or bride and the parties associated therewith then walk down on the runner. Sometimes, these runners are made of cloth or other fabric and sometimes they are made from plastic and the like. These materials must be strong enough to resist damage due to walking and yet light enough to allow quick and easy use.
These ceremonial events usually require that the roll be laid down just prior to use and assistants present usually place one end of the roll at the point where the users will start and then roll the remainder down the aisle or walkway. When a roll of non-woven material is used, it is conventional for the assistants to have the roll on a rope so that it can be unrolled very easily. During weddings, for example, the ushers, attendants or others from the wedding party have a roll of white non-woven material or plastic. In the center, core of the roll, a decorative rope is usually threaded. The attendants place the start of the roll at the point where the bride will end her walk down the aisle to that point where the wedding march begins. They pull this roll down this aisle or walkway to cover the walking surface with the material contained on the roll. The bride then enters and walks on the covered aisle to participate in the wedding ceremony. All of this adds beauty, pomp and circumstance to this ceremony. Many of these rolls of material are embossed or otherwise decorated to add beauty to the surface thereof. Sometimes these rolls are unrolled right along the floor and sometimes they are held just above the floor at an angle thereto just prior to being unrolled.
There are, however, problems with the un-rolling of this ceremonial walkway cover. Since the material is light, there is a tendency that it will not lie properly on the floor of the walkway. Usually, one of the attendants is forced to stand on the beginning of the roll to insure that it does not trail after those who are unrolling same. If there is a slight breeze that occurs when a door opens, for example, there is also a tendency for this unrolled material to be ruffled up by this breeze to become wrinkled and unsightly. Usually, there is a scramble by the attendants to insure that this walkway remains covered in a neat and straight manner by the ceremonial roll of material. This scrambling detracts from the main reason for this ceremony and presents serious problems.
The use of adhesives and the like to attach materials to floors and the like are well-known. The use of double-side coated tapes to hold down carpets is an example of this use. Most of these adhesives tend to stick permanently or at least semi-permanently to the floor in order to hold the carpet in a firm position over a long period of time. When these materials are removed, much of the adhesive remains on the floor and must be removed by the use of solvents or by scraping.
The use of temporary adhesives for various and sundry purposes is also well-known. Most of these uses involve decorative ribbons for packaging; temporary material for posting notes and the like; sheets of drafting paper; among many others. These temporary adhesives are of the tack/release type well-known in the prior art. They are designed to provide a temporary tackiness to the material on which they are applied. Most of these tack materials will not withstand a hard pull during use.
There is a long-standing need to provide a ceremonial roll of material with some sort of glue or adhesive that will hold the roll in place during unrolling and during use and yet which can be easily removed from the floor surface without damage either to the floor or to the roll itself.